There are numerous welding electrodes on the market today, each designed for broad or specific welding applications. Their compositions are functions of the tasks to which they are assigned.
In particular, electrodes useful for cast iron welding include nickel. Unfortunately, anyone following or consuming nickel is aware of the vagaries of the marketplace. The recent price of nickel has been both depressed and elevated, causing price disruptions to the ultimate purchasers.
Accordingly, it is desired to reduce the percentage of nickel in welding electrodes without simultaneously losing the desirable characteristics imparted by nickel.
Manganese filler has been suggested as a nickel substitute in low carbon steel welding wire electrodes. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,534,793 and 4,726,854.
The use of manganese filler has also been suggested by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,778,588, 3,851,142 and 3,851,143. Indeed assignee produces a successful product based upon the '588 patent called NI-ROD.RTM. FC 55 welding electrode.
However, as far as applicant is aware, there are no flux cored type electrodes that have reduced nickel contents that are allowed by the addition of manganese.